


Just Business Savy...

by Somecallmemichelle



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Genre: Best Friends, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Multi, Polyromance, Romance, cuteness, polyromantic, short and sweet, starts of relationships, technically a valentine's day fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-14
Updated: 2019-03-04
Packaged: 2019-10-28 05:22:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,011
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17781347
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Somecallmemichelle/pseuds/Somecallmemichelle
Summary: Peatrice had lost. She had loved and had a crush and tried her hardest to get her best friend to notice her. Perhaps she was a bit too rough, a bit too snarky, but that was her personality, and she had thought him to have enjoyed it.Maybe she was never a player in the game, Zelda had so obviously conquered his heart before they had even known.But when Zelda makes her an offer, even she can't help but be surprised. Is it an offer she can't refuse?(polytomantic/polyromance)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ArcAngelofJustice](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArcAngelofJustice/gifts).



Peatrice played with the drawstrings of a bag she just happened to have lying around, idly closing and opening it. There wasn’t anything inside to toss to the ground or let out, but she still figured it easier than actually glancing at the two who sat together near her. To have them in her room, the place she usually went to vent and yell after a hard day was intimidating. She could hardly look at the ceiling and let out a yel with them there.   
  
They weren’t imposing however, she had invited them. She had to remind herself of that. Why had she done that? Had she invited them only to refuse to stare at them? Was she the one being rude? Her father always said to treat customers with care, and they’d come back - not that they’d have much of an option given where the store was situated, but still. She hadn’t particularly paid heed to the advice very often. Just living by, not quite throwing tantrums, but insisting on being just rude enough to show how displeased she was.   
  
Those were  _ her _ friends however. And even if it hurt, to see them so clearly close, almost as one, bumping shoulders, shrugging, letting out little laughs, and adjusting themselves so that at least one part of them touched at all times - whether it’d be arms, hands, or shoulders -  she had to admit it was an adorable sigh. Her heart swelled in seeing her friends happy, and she wished them the best, yet her eyes held a sad look, and her mouth was pursed.   
  
It was odd, to feel not quite happy and not quite sad, a sort of melancholic feeling had taken over and perhaps she wished not to express it. Perhaps she just wanted to avoid having to show her friends that she wasn’t doing as well as they’d believe. The fact was, they were used to her not being particularly helpful.   
  
They had grown on her, however. Peatrice had to admit that she had grown close to those two, well closer to one of them, but still, close. That there had been an attempt at flirting, that Link always seemed to be filled with possessions but no actual romantic hopes had been endearing. It had given her hope. It didn’t fit the image of a big strong burly man, a hunk, she wished to one day marry, but his boyish looks had charm. He wasn’t much of a talker, but he clearly knew how to express himself well - they had striken a friendship, and on the day where he had introduced her to Zelda, she too had become her friend. They were very often her favorite customers, the ones that she looked most forward to seeing.   
  
In the end, she didn’t do much actual work when they were around. Sure she deposited and she did all those things, eventually, but it was only after hardened stares from her father and repeat warnings. She laughed and chatted and made dumb jokes - with her usual edge and snark thrown in  - far more than she actually spent time moving things from pouches. It was nice, but Peatrice caught things she shrugged off as her overactive imagination and need for romance. Didn’t she daydream most of her day away? That had to be the same thing.

 

That had been what Peatrice had hoped. That those acts were mere acts of friendship. A close friendship, but even so just a friendship.    
  
The fact that they were in her room, not quite splitting saliva, but so close that they might as well be threw water at that hope. They hadn’t quite admitted to it, but there was no need. What was she to say? Was it considered a loss when she had never been part of the game? When she had never had a chance, truly?   
  
It was not worth getting depressed over, yet she found it hard not to. Averting her gaze was probably the best thing she could do, she was already disappointed, there was no need to disappoint her friends as well.

 

It was such a thought that pushed her decision. She wasn’t exactly being a gracious host, she was aware, but even so she hoped they didn’t mind.   
  
“Peatrice…”, Zelda spoke, her leg draped over Link’s ankles. She was clearly relaxed and Peatrice failed to see why, but Peatrice couldn’t help it, she sounded worried. Perhaps it had been many years serving customers but she could quite easily detect the slight change in tone that indicated such a thing. Perhaps it was something she should have brought attention to, but she didn’t wish to prod too deep. She briefly wondered if it was a relationship problem with Link then hated herself for thinking that, what was wrong with her?

 

Link seemed sort of out of it, just staring at a point on the wall intensively. Hadn’t she jokingly done that to him once? Only his hand gently gripped Zelda’s, as if giving her a much needed point of contact between the two.

 

Peatrice realised that in her boldness, looking at them, rather than staring away, brought forth by the questioning she had forgotten to answer the question. It was more of an interrogation than an outright question though, it was just her name being called, as if to catch her attention. Zelda hadn’t continued, hoping, perhaps, for an acknowledgement that she was listening.

 

An acknowledgment that Peatrice wasn’re sure she could give. In fact though she had invited them into her house, she was unsure of what to say. It wasn’t the first time she had brought people over, not really, but it was the first time that they had gotten as far as her room, or that she had brought in a couple.   
  
She couldn’t help but blush at that. She wasn’t particularly lived, in that she didn’t go on adventures, and retrieve mystical swords, or whatever the heck Link did (he had been vague on the details, well actually he had said only one word  _ much _ ) but she knew what happened in her bedroom.   
  
Lots and lots of complaining and even more dreaming! She was innocent and inexperienced in the field of love. There were some things she had a vague idea of how it worked though, that made her blush all the more apparent. Still, as far as friendships went, those sat amidst the closest.   
  
“Are you ok?”, her eyes glittered with concern and Peatrice felt guilt over the fact she wasn’t exactly replying to her question. The fact that a full fledged minute had passed since Zelda had uttered her name only led her to hesitate further. Knowing that would only exacerbate the problem she finally managed an uttering.   
  
“Huh” Peatrice felt kind of silly. Was that all she could say “huh”? Her mind was quick to compose a response, though her voice was nowhere near ready and it came out rushed.   
  
“Yeahimfinethanks!”, she finally remembered to breath, and spoke again, slower that time, if she weren’t already blushing she would no doubt do it. “Really, thank you for asking. Do you need anything?”

  
Zelda hesitated, a hand half raised, a thoughtful expression on her face. She looked at Link and a sort of silent communication between the two seemed to occur. The kind that could only happen between best friends - and, Peatrice supposed, romantic partners.

  
She couldn’t decipher exactly what they were saying, but their exchange of eye glimpses nods towards her made her pretty sure they were talking about her. She wanted to protest but she had to admit that she was curious, what exactly could they want from her?    
  
She wasn’t exactly happy with the situation, that much was clear, but then neither was she holding a grudge. She would really to know what was happening, however, Zelda was acting sort of cryptic, even if she was visibly relaxed.

  
Zelda finally took to speaking. She wasn’t exactly direct, but then that was politicians. While Zelda was not a politician she had the blood of one, she knew how to work a crowd. Peatrice wasn’t a crowd, not really, but she still couldn’t help but be impressed by how well Zelda spoke.

 

“You know, when I was little, I had always wanted to visit the surface”, she looked wishful, she looked as if she had hoped and dreamed and desired it more than anything else, the want in her voice spoke depths about that. Peatrice wanted to point out that just by virtue of being in her room she was in the surface, but she didn’t know if that was such a good idea. Why interrupt?

 

“It was my biggest, most bold desire. Nobody knew of it.” Link tapped her on the shoulder as if in mock protest, and Zelda smiled. “Well ok, most didn’t know about it, even if it was pretty obvious.”   
  
But a frown grew on Zelda’s face, as if she were recalling troubled times. “It wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows, it wasn’t all good times, though.”, and Link held her close, protectively, leading Peatrice to wonder, once more, exactly, what had happened. She could only guess, though she had some theories of her own. Now was not the time however to ask she felt. Zelda was clearly filled with baggage when it came to the topic. And while as a friend she felt that perhaps she should help her unload it, interrupting her wouldn’t help.

“That is to say - I have uh…”, that was unlike Zelda, that she didn’t know what to say. Peatrice wondered where all her considered words had gone, she had clearly planned her speech, hadn’t she? Were the memories of her past so heavily hurting her she had lost track of what she was saying?

 

Zelda rubbed her arms, clearly uncomfortable. The fact that Link held her shoulders, and smiled, being there for her didn’t do as much to help her push the words as she’d hoped. Peatrice’s curiosity grew by the second, but she also had to admit that she worried about what they were going to tell her. If it was serious enough to perturb Zelda, who was as composed as they came…

 

“How does one even say this?”, Zelda, Peatrice noticed, was blushing. A troubling possibility ran through Peatrice’s mind - was Zelda pregnant? What else could explain the hesitation? She was kind of grumpy, she was aware, but she could be counted on, right? She was a  _ friend _ , and friends looked after each other.

 

“Be honest with me, do you have feelings for Link?”, that was one way to cut to the point. Peatrice didn’t know whether to deny it, the first thought that came into her head, her first instinct, or be honest. Did she care for Link? In that fashion?   
  
It was a tough question to answer in that though she knew the answer, a very resounding yes, she had to know exactly what Zelda was asking her the question for. She trusted Zelda, in it that they were friends, but she imagined that  jealousy could run rampant. Zelda didn’t seem like the type to jeopardise a friendship due to the start of a relationship, but then, Peatrice had been surprised before.

 

“It’s ok if you do! I don’t mind”, Zelda smiled, trying to relieve whatever Peatrice was feeling, which wasn’t an easy thing to do when Peatrice was as conflicted as she could possibly be. “In fact I have a proposition for you…-”   
  
Peatrice’s eyes widened. She knew business, or at least she thought she did. Hadn’t she worked so often at her father’s shop? Whatever the prospect might have been she wanted to at least listen to it.   
  
“A proposition?”   
  
“Yes. It’s very simple actually, you see Link has feelings for you, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t curious about you as well”, Peatrice gasped in shock and Link covered his face, as if he were ashamed. “It’s not uh - quite an attraction yet, the feelings I do have for you, but you are an interesting girl, and uh-”   
  
There went Zelda again with her rambling, Peatrice just listened to shock to even register what was happening. That was, of course until she realised that Link had admitted attraction to her, and that Zelda - a girl! Was curious about it.   
  
“So what’s the offer?” she said in a neutral tone, hoping to cut Zelda’s words before they reached a point where she talked and talked for hours.

  
  


“I’m offering you the chance to be in a relationship with us…”, Zelda said, only to then go silent, giving Peatrice a chance to talk.   
  
  


“So like we share or something?”, she pursed her lips once more, examining the possibility, “he’s man enough for both of us, is that it?”   
  
While she admired Link enough this was unlike every fantasy and daydream she had ever had. To share a man, was it ok? Even with consent? She didn’t really feel like she had all the pieces on the table yet, and were she honest -

  
Well were she honest the idea was so foreign to her that she didn’t even have an opinion about it, it was something she would have to consider. Now that she glanced at the eyes of Zelda she could see a hint of mischief in them, as well as a small smile.

 

  
“I was thinking more the three of us , in a relationship”   
  
The drawstring bag she had been holding dropped to the ground, and she was quick to pick it up. What could she even say to _ that _ ?   
  
“...I...is that possible?”

 

  
“We’re all adults here”, Zelda shrugged, seemingly more at ease now that the question had been put out there and she could provide her arguments. Arguments that, if Peatrice knew anything about the young girl, she had probably prepared in full.   
  
And why wouldn’t she prepare them in full? You just didn’t ask someone to join such a relationship without a good reason and having thought about it.    
  
Even if getting the words out, Peatrice had noticed, had been harder than it looked.

 

“No I, mean would it work?”, that was the question wasn’t it? How would it work? Would the three of them share bed and room? Would they take turns? Questions burned in her mind, yet Zelda was annoyingly coy. 

 

“With enough communication, I don’t see why not!”, she shrugged, and a thousand other questions came to Peatrice’s mind. However what escaped her lips was another thought entirely.   
  


“Dad wouldn’t approve”, she said thoughtful. She did not know if she only mentioned it to have an escape of the situation, or if she was weary of the possibility. It was so out there, such an odd thought that she couldn’t answer immediately.    
  
“Look, this obviously is going to take communication in between us”, she poked Link on the ribs with her shoulder “Which isn’t this guy’s forte, but you know - You don’t have to accept immediately, you can think about it, or even say no! I just thought - well, if you never ask you never know, as you can imagine” For like the fourth time that day one of them blushed, and suddenly Peatrice was very glad she had invited them to her room. She was about to answer when Link spoke.

  
“Besides, when have you done anything other than complain about your father, again?”, and though Peatrice could throw mock protests, that was very much true.

 

She had to listen to her heart, she felt, reason would lead her nowhere, and, as much as she had daydreamed, she now had a chance to date. Not only her crush, but also, seemingly, the cutest girl she had ever known. Not that she knew many girls, but still. It was an insane bundle, an excellent package.   
  
How could she say no to that? It was just good business sense, and furthermore she did really care for the two of them. It would be a heck of a lot of work but really, there was no gain without pain.    
  
They could figure out details later, for now she was happy to be part of it. She gladly accepted their offer.   
  
**_  
_ ** **_FIN_ **


	2. Chapter 2

"Can you show me?", Zelda's face hovered rather close to Peatrice's. Enough to be uncomfortable. It was as if the other girl were ready to kiss her. Peatrice nearly said something, before she remembered that it came with the territory. She had agreed to it, after all.

 

Though Zelda was sharing nowhere near as much body contact with her as she had with Link, just a few moments ago, the familiarity with which she treated the question still came out as odd to Peatrice. Maybe Zelda had been emboldened by the fact she had said yes. Either the way the fact that Peatrice could smell Zelda's breath, as it tickled her senses, was something she wouldn't complain about. It felt, she dared say, nice.

  
Perhaps when she had said she had accepted the situation, out of good business sense, she had been lying. In fact, in Peatrice's mind that was pretty much a certainty. Not that she was a liar, not that she was one to become jealous! She was simply purely passionate about her feelings, and she simply had a very wide definition of what constituted the truth. Was she fooling anyone? Less of all herself?   
  
Yeah, she had thought so. She truly wasn't. That she cared for Link, well it had been as plain as day. Even Zelda had seen it! Though, from what little contact Peatrice had had with Zelda she seemed to have that penchant. To be able to see small little connections.    
  
She was as clever as they came, and Peatrice wasn't necessarily opposed to that. In fact, Peatrice didn't have an opinion about the topic. She simply had never thought about it. Her daydreams typically were about brawn, not brains. Then again, they were also with men, not women, or multiple people.

 

Peatrice bit her lip, softly, her eyes meeting up with Zelda's. All the romantic things she had dreamed of, heard about, and explored were of the same opinion. Eye locking was extremely romantic, a way for the would be couple to share feelings without words. Only there wasn't anything would be about their situation.   
  
The gaze held a lot of feelings, and even without much experience in the field of love, her father had assured that, she could see what all the gossip was about. She might have been protected, in her opinion overly so, but many different folk passed through the store, and she had eagerly caught any hint of conversation she might have heard. Which could be seen as rude, and in fact was most likely rude, but Peatrice had thought herself discreet. Behind her grumpy and gloom outlook, the heart of a teenager, one ready to grab onto love, shined. Not that she had ever shared that with many -   
  
She had come very close to telling Link, Link who lay there, a dopey grin on his face, staring not at her but at the ceiling like that was the answer to all of life's questions. It was hard not to let her heart beat faster, not to see Link as the main attraction, and Zelda as the side dish. It was an unfair view and she knew it, but it was a view she was trying hard to overcome.

 

Zelda's eyes, glued on hers were trying very hard to overcome that bias that Peatrice knew she had, however. Peatrice had never noticed how pretty they were, but more evocative, more eye grabbing (if she could pardon the pun), was the utter look of kindness on Zelda's eyes. It wasn't the only look she had there, and it didn't strictly stick to her eyes -  it spread to her face, her smile another dashingly attractive feature. Her kindness was present even in the gentle way she moved. So light was her touch that Peatrice though at first that she had imagined it. Zelda would have had to be contorting herself to touch her.   
  
And yet she did touch her anyway. As Peatrice had observed earlier it wasn't quite the same level of contact, of familiarity and comfort, that she had had with Link but it was still there. It was enough to at least make her jittery, to make her belly squirm. Peatrice hadn't thought she'd be into it quite that quickly, but there it was.

  
  


Hormones. That was what it probably was. At least if her father was to be believed, she had heard him just as much as she had heard the customers. Complaining about hormones, in a way that she didn't quite understand, but made them sound like mythical beasts - like spirits, or fairies. She wasn't dumb or anything, she just didn't quite understand what they were. That her father seemed to think that blaming everything on them was a good idea only reinforced her belief that they were no good.   
  
Even if she was very much sure that fairies and spirits were real. Link hadn't seen fit to share his adventures but she had caught enough of a glimpse at what had happened (or at least what others discussed as fact), to have an idea of what Link was. A hero. It was probably a very naive question, but she wondered if Link had ever encountered such things, and if so, how he had dealt with them.   
  
Of course, Peatrice didn't have to remain ignorant about the issue. She reminded herself that she had her very own bookworm so very near her. Her arm touched her  and her legs almost straddled her. Now there was an embarrassing thought! And to top it off, her breath, her fresh breath still touched her nose in ways that made it abundantly clear that Zelda had taken the concept of personal space and decided it was useless. The weirdest part was Peatrice didn't seem too mind too much. While she had let her heart roam free, dreaming up the wildest possibilities, her face had very much remained sour, her lips in a quasi permanent frown. She had opened herself, to Link, and later to Zelda, but never had she expressed her mood in such a jovial way. Never had she made it so abundantly clear that her hopes and goals, expectations and desires were being met or, at least came close to that.

 

Surely Zelda wouldn't mind answering the question? Peatrice was unsure exactly what they were, the three of them, boyfriend and girlfriend and girlfriend? Her mind hadn't quite yet run through with a suitable name, nor was that the most important thing to it. So far she had settled for calling them a couple.   
  
A couple in which she just so happened to be included, there were no provisions mentioning that a couple had to be limited to two, even if that was almost definitively the meaning of the word. She was preparing to open her mouth to speak the question to Zelda, certain that she wouldn't chide her for her curiosity, when Zelda cut her off.   
  
"Well?", and the fact had raised an eyebrow did not go unnoticed by Peatrice, even if her eyebrows were so light they blended in with her hair. Some  of which had lost the composure that Zelda had instilled in it, for a single lock fell, covering the side of her face. Zelda seemed not to have noticed, too attentively focused on Peatrice to actually care. Such an obvious interrogation, such an obvious question could only bring out the sharpest of responses from Peatrice.   
  
"Huh?", and Peatrice blushed slightly Perhaps it was not only Zelda that had been busy enjoying the situation. Perhaps she too had been lost in thought. Peatrice had taken care to notice the beauty and the intelligence of her friend - and now something more, but if she had spoken any words then Peatrice hadn't heard.   
  
Zelda didn't seem taken aback by the fact. Rather she simply repeated the question, no hint of frustration on her face, no mask, or anger on it either.   
  
"I asked, can you show me?", and there was a pleading tone to Zelda's voice. A not so silent request that made Peatrice's heart fill to the brim with the desire to fulfill her request. This being peatrice however she couldn’t help the running commentary running through her mouth. Even if she was satisfied with how the situation was turning out she seemed to still have a streak of free spirited rebellion, a need to be somewhat unpleasant. Not out of malice, she rather thought, but rather from the fact she spoke without thinking.

 

“Don’t you mean may?”, she pondered. Only half joking. “What happened to the polite little Zelda I’ve come to know and lo-care for?”, there, it was almost a slip up of her part. She had never thought about Zelda in such a manner, and it was just an expression, to know and love, but Peatrice couldn’t quite bring herself to say it. Not quite yet, anyway. Maybe it was just the romantic in her, which was a bigger part of her than many would realise, but she thought her first I love you had to be a special one. She could say she loved being with Zelda, and she could say she loved what she and Zelda did together. Well together with Link, but she couldn’t say she  _ loved  _ Zelda, at least not until the time was right.

 

Maybe that didn’t mean anything to anyone other than Peatrice, maybe she was making a storm out of nothing, but she truly felt that way. Before she had time to wonder when exactly the words would come slipping out of her lips however, Zelda silenced her.   
  
“No, I mean can”, she smiled and pushed a finger onto Peatrice’s nose. It would be cute except for the fact that Peatrice nearly went cross eyed tried to follow it. Zelda didn’t seem to care for such details however, as she briefly pressed a finger to her nose and then pushed it. “Why have formalities when I’m with you?”, she said, a hint of amusement on her voice. Zelda came closer and despite the fact they were damn nearly touching lips, the first thought that came to mind was that her breasts were slightly being pressed on by Zelda’s chest.

 

It was a weird thought to have, but also an extremely interesting observation, or so she thought. Peatrice didn’t know what to do with her arms, they just sat uselessly by her side. Was she to push them into Zelda’s torso, so she could push her closer, close that gap? Was she to sofly feel the back of Zelda’s dress?   
  
As much bravado and thought as she had put into the question, the truth was Peatrice was very much inexperienced when it came to the matter of love. Her father had assured so, and at that fleeting thought of her father, she half expected him to come bursting out the door demanding to know what was going on. Though no such thing came.   
  
There was still a playful tone to Zelda’s voice, as she spoke. There was no wind, and her room didn’t glow with the afternoon light yet Peatrice could almost swear that Zelda was sparkling in a golden light. Peatrice didn’t know if it was her eyes, or her heart playing tricks on her. Peatrice couldn’t help the genuine smile that came to her lips. She wasn’t used to smiling, not like that, but Zelda and Link made it almost natural.

 

“I could easily say something even more polite, like would you care to show me”, and though Zelda’s voice wasn’t mocking or cruel, Peatrice got the sense that she found the idea ridiculous all the same. With every word Peatrice got more and more entranced. Perhaps it was foolish to so easily careen down this cliff, to fall for those two so easily. All notions that she had had, all her hesitation seemed to disappear in a puddle. Even her lips felt dry. She was nervous!

 

“And as I asked before, can you show me?”, Peatrice still had no idea of what exactly Zelda wanted her to show her, but the proximity, and the closeness to her made Peatrice have at least a few ideas of what it was Zelda wanted her to show her.

 

Peatrice hesitated. Though she had no bigger desire than to close the distance, be taken by what Zelda was so clearly suggesting, the truth was she was nervous. It was a lot of things, and they were all smart, but that did not mean that they weren’t present. There was desire caught up in her throat, there was the urge to close the distance. A fire had ignited in Peatrice, a fire that no fantasy, or daydream could have ignited. It was almost enough to make her forget that her father was right around the corner, or that she had never kissed anyone or tha-   
  
She felt conflicted and so she stood frozen, Zelda’s breath so close she could whisper anything to Peatrice. Two very different actions presented themselves as options, and Peatrice didn’t know which one to take. What if she did something wrong in her inexperience?

 

And then, Zelda’s eyes were upon her again. Not only was she glancing at her with that amazing kindness, not only did she circle and brush against her body with an endless amount of gentleness but Peatrice now realised that those eyes were very perceptive. She felt as if she were being studied, as if Zelda were diagnosing any problems she might have had. It wasn’t the best of feelings, but to see such deep care and worry spread across Zelda’s eyes made her feel tingly. The butterflies had not yet left her belly, but now that feeling had spread to her chest. She was moved.

 

“What’s wrong?”, Zelda pulled back. Just enough to give her some space but not enough to break the contact of their fingers. At some points Zelda had intertwined hers with Peatrice’s. “Am I going too fast? I don’t want to force you into anything”, Zelda’s smile threatened to turn into a frown. “If you want to wait or -” Zelda gripped Peatrice’s fingers tighter. “Not do anything at all. I am ok with that!”

 

Peatrice’s heart beat as fast as was humanly possible.Even in her hour of doubt Zelda was there for her. Could she have asked for a better partner? Though they had been together for all of twenty minutes, she had already proven herself to care. Peatrice hadn’t doubted she didn’t, but the confirmation still warmed her heart. “Thank you”, she simply said, and even if she didn’t smile much wider, even if her eyes were low and refused to meet Zelda’s, she hoped that just how much she meant it carried through.

 

Zelda’s soft touch was now the only thing Peatrice felt as Zelda’s fingers sofly edged their way up to her shoulder blade. Peatrice felt the fingers climb even higher and reach her chin, she failed to suppress a shiver. Innocent as that action might be, in her state there was nothing if not desire.    
  
Zelda cupped her hand below Peatrice’s chin and made her look at her. It wasn’t a hard grasp, Peatrice could have easily have broken it, as she could have refused to glance once more, but she trusted Zelda.

 

Perhaps just how foolish her father had often said she was had been an understatement. How could she be falling for someone so quickly? How could she justify it? Zelda seemed to asphyxiate herself in Peatrice’s vision almost like a beacon. One of hope, and light, as the soft golden light that seemed to surround Zelda.

 

“I’m not going to do anything that can possibly hurt you, you understand that right?”, coming from Zelda it didn’t feel like she was preaching, or like a promise that could very well be broken, coming from her it felt like an obvious statement. And yet, though it seemed very obvious, Peatrice still felt Zelda was not frustrated, or mad in any way shape or form. “Do I have your consent to proceed…?” Zelda waited until an answer was given before continuing with her teasing and flirting.

 

“Y...yeah, sorry, I’m new to this”, it felt like a huge confession. She who was so obsessed with love? New to the idea, to the concept? What was she saying? Besides the truth?

  
Zelda only smiled.   
  
“You are not the only one. We’re all learning, together”, it felt like an assurance as much to Peatrice as it did for Zelda, however Peatrice still had a  question…

  
“Even Link?”

  
“Even Link, as I said, communication. If there’s ever something that makes you uncomfortable -” Zelda didn’t have to say the rest. Peatrice had understood. And it was Peatrice that took the lead. Taking advantage of the fact that she was now on a lower position she springed into a jump, her lips finally closing around Zelda’s.   
  
She had heard about the coarse lip of men, and the special way of kissing that involved the tongue, but kissing Zelda was different from all the tales she had heard. To start of with, it was much, much better. It was not some obligation, like kissing the cheek of family, it was  not a way to possess the other, to mark them as theirs, as she had heard on the store, and had dreamed of being marked. It was simply a show of affection. A natural, and pretty obvious show of what she felt. Or - at least what she thought she felt. Zelda had been growing on her more quickly than she ever thought possible. But the thing that she most noticed about the kiss was how soft Zelda’s lips felt. It was like feeling cotton.

 

Link had pressed himself on one shoulder and observed the kiss with interest. Peatrice had thought that she was supposed to close her eyes when kissing, but she hadn’t. Much like she had done with Zelda, she locked gazes with him. Link showed no hints of jealousy. No anger or sadness, instead he just smiled at the two of them, his hands signaling an ok sign.

 

Peatrice didn’t have time for thoughts in between the kiss,  but when at last they separated due to the need to breathe they came .Peatrice didn’t have long to arrive to an answer to the question of why Link hadn’t shown envy. They were together all three, so for one to be happy, it made all three happy.   
  
Peatrice’s head felt like it was spinning and she realised that for the duration of the visit of her friends - well, her partners, she hadn’t made a mean spirited comment. It was something new, but what in the situation wasn’t new?   
  
“How do you plan to tell your father?”, Peatrice nearly caught whiplash from how far her head moved to confront Zelda. Tell her father? She hadn’t planned on doing that - not then, not ever.

  
Zelda must have caught her eyes darting because she approached. Link too came near, and for the first time Peatrice had the pleasurable sensation of being touched by the two she loved at the same time.   
  
“I know staying in this room might seem like a paradise.”, Zelda said, Link gently stroking Peatrice’s back. “But you cannot remain here forever. You’ll have to face him sometime.”   
  
If there ever was something to quickly threaten to destroy the fantastic mood she was in, it was that. Peatrice truly had no idea how her father would react. It was a scary prospect!    
  
The realisation came when she looked around her. It was a scary prospect, but it was totally worth it. How could she even hesitate to mention it? She was lucky enough to stand with the two greatest partners she could ask for. Not a calculated business move, but a sweep of the heart. How could she complain?   
  
“You’ll be there, to support me, right?”, It was a question to which she already knew the answer. She knew how supportive they were. She knew they wouldn’t abandon her, yet it was a question she needed to hear the answer for from them.   
  
“Of course.”, Zelda said, a thousand rupees smile on her lips. Link too talked, bursting into one of his rare forays into speech. “We’ll be there.”

 

And Peatrice felt nothing if not reassured.

 


	3. Chapter 3

Peatrice gulped, the safety of the room she called her own pulling her in. Her eyes traveled down the bed, and all the cozy spots she had spent so much of her life on. She had good memories of the place, but perhaps the strongest and best had been formed not twenty minutes ago. It had taken her at least that much time to let all the pink that had risen to her cheeks descend. Peatrice had been flushed, and she had used it as an excuse not to immediately leave her room.   
  
She kept returning to the kiss, to the feeling of Zelda’s soft lips on her own. She kept gasping at the audacity of her approach. She had never thought that she would be the one to close that gap and yet nothing had ever felt more right. She could still feel Zelda’s breath on her mouth, as if she had inhaled part of the other girl when they had been as close as Peatrice dared. Thoughts like those had done nothing if not increase the slight tint of red to her cheek. If she didn’t know it herself, she would have thought her and her friends - and her heart leapt as she thought that to be an understatement, they were so much more - to have been drinking. The giddiness of their actions, the fits of laughter, the fact she actually smiled! Alcohol wasn’t a completely new topic to Peatrice, she was a teenager, she had sneaked drinks once or twice, but it was not the justification for her jovial mood.   
  
No, she was in love. That much she could admit freely to herself. There was no doubt in her mind that that was the case. It might have happened rather quickly, and it might sound as overplayed as her fantasies, but it was the truth. When she had let them enter her room she had had no idea of the wild surge of feeling that was about to overtake her, but now she couldn’t deny it.   
  
It was something that made her feel amazingly chipper.  A feeling that came out as odd to Peatrice. She had thought herself odd, on occasion, what girl hadn’t, but the feeling in her chest, a bubbly sort of need, a desire that threatened to spill into her lips to make her smile, was something else. Peatrice had though she hadn’t underestimated the power of love, of attraction and of possible romantic events, but now she realised that, quite frankly, she had. What else could she say?   
  


Her fingers gently strummed against her hips, circling, closing in on her navel. She was covered, and there was nothing indecent about it, but the gentle rubs, and the tactory sensation helped her relax. To have something within her grasp - even if it was her own skin, even if it was her hips, that was nice.

 

As nice as it was, more than enough to calm her down, she couldn’t help but think that the touch of another, either Link or Zelda would be ten times better. If a pure touch of lips, if a pat on the shoulder already electrified her, to the point where such intense sensations went through her, then what of a gentle touch? For a moment she thought herself close to holding Zelda’s hands and to push them against her. How was that dissimilar to the aborted action she had almost undertaken? Stroking Zelda’s back while she closed the distance? In the end the mere touch of Zelda’s lips had been enough to make her forget everything else, up and including that need. Her arms had grasped at nothing, she hadn’t worried about their position. It might have felt awkward, thinking about it with hindsight, but at the time nothing felt more right. It hadn’t mattered, not when her lips seemed to overload her, sucking every ounce of her attention. Nothing else had mattered.

 

She had even forgotten about the worry of telling her father. Link had made a remark about it,and it would have been insensitive were it not true. Peatrice had taken to act as the typical rebellious teenager. Well typical, in the sense that she had often heard it was expected for girls to be “difficult” when they reached a certain age. She liked to think herself a little bit more unique.   
  
Perhaps she was unusual in how usual she was. That made sense right? Even despite the fact that the thought felt oddly confusing in her head, she was sure that that was a good sign. Most hard things were smart things, or so she thought. Zelda had often had to put things into her level, something she vehemently refused to call dumbing it down. Zelda might have had a monopoly in all the complicated chemicals and names of plants, she might have what would pass as a dictionary implanted in her.   
  
But Peatrice had a better grasp on emotions, or so she thought. It wasn’t something she wished to think about. That too was new. How many times had she compared herself to Zelda, how many times had she attempted to be something she was not, in order to conquer Link? Push him away from Zelda? How many times had she shifted and pushed into changing herself? Peatrice couldn’t help but shake her head, how could she have been so blind?

 

Her rebellious nature, the one she could call an insurgency without pushing the definition of the word too much was still present. Peatrice felt herself discover hidden facets of her personality, expand her empathy and her pleasantnesses, but that did not mean she was still not Peatrice. That it had taken the two most amazing people she knew, and which she had the luck to call her partners to help her finally accept what her father had told her a million times was ironic. An irony that was not lost on her, as she still dreaded that conversation with her father.   
  
It was not that she was ashamed, and it was not that she was scared. It was impossible to feel scared when she had the bravest knight in all of the land, someone who had gone to a frickin Knight Academy, to defend her. It was not that she feared rejection, though that cross did cross her mind more often than she’d like to admit, or that she dreaded the embarrassment. No it was none of those things.  Peatrice had admitted it to herself that she loved those two, more than anything in the world, but that didn’t stop her from wondering how her father would react.   
  
Zelda had spoken of the virtues of communication, as often as any doubts came to Peatrice’s mind. Unlike herself, and she had to admit, Link, Zelda was quite capable and clear with her words. She was not a con artist, nor a liar, but she managed to convince others of her opinion. That was more than what Peatrice could say, what with her poorly masked angst, and her sharp tongue. She was sure that if Zelda had been the one manning the counter, many of the customers she had lost, wouldn’t have gone away.

 

It was hard not to attribute to Zelda a certain perfection, from her clear skin, to her golden locks. From her white and dazzling smile, to her kind eyes. Peatrice had found herself staring, and, given permission to oogle and stare, she couldn’t help but be lost and taken by that figure.

 

Link, the object of her affection, and a long time crush (well long by the spawn of a teenager, so a couple months) also caught her eye. Link had very different attributes and qualities to him than Zelda had, but that did not mean Peatrice didn’t admire them any less. Link was above all a living legend. Not in terms of fame, or in terms of notoriety, though she believed that not to be too far off in the horizon such were his feats, but because he had accomplished what none before him had ever managed. Though Link had done many a feat, though he had conquered dungeons, and quests, and hills and skies (or so she assumed), it was her heart his biggest conquest.

  
Peatrice amused herself thinking about the future. It was easier than thinking about telling her father, which was something that was so close in the future it might as well be the present. She amused thinking of her and her two companions, her two partners as some fable, she wondered what name it would be given.  _ The legend of Zelda? Link’s Adventure? Peatrice’s woes? _ The options were many and the thought was an intriguing one.   
  
But no amount of intriguing thoughts or wild divagations of the mind could help her prepare for the challenge she faced. Telling her dad seemed quite simple, just a few words with the two best friends she had ever had, not to mention her partners. How hard could that be? Had she not admitted to herself her feelings? Had they not developed faster than any loftwing could fly? Though Peatrice could safely claim that, much like Zelda did, she could reason quite well, all those answers did little to dispel her nerves.   
  
At a certain point her fingers had pushed themselves into her skin, scratching her. Her nails had acted as claws, and though she didn’t do it on purpose, she had no intent of hurting herself, thin lines formed themselves on her skin.

  
It was not something she had planned, or even held in her mind as conscious. It was a natural reaction to stress, and though it was unlikely to leave permanent damage, it was still distressing. Peatrice first noticed this by the gentle way her arms were held, Zelda had approached her and though she had been that close not half an hour ago Peatrice didn’t think she’d ever tire of the proximity. She thought that perhaps the opportunity for a kiss presented itself, and that more than anything was something she desired. Zelda held her arms, gently but firmly, and such a hold stopped her from pushing Zelda’s face closer to hers, to gently hold her neck as she guided the kiss but Peatrice thought she could make due. Though she had yet to taste Link’s lips, some she had dreamed of for ages, Zelda’s lips were more than a mere substitution or a replacement. They were an addiction of their own, the most alluring of tastes.   
  
It wasn’t much like her, Peatrice was aware to simply let herself be taken in such a manner. It wasn’t like her to allow herself to be stopped and held. That was something that Zelda was quite literally doing. Peatrice should have felt apoplectic, she should have felt the urge to violently push her arms, and to hold herself in a position of anger. Anger directed perhaps not at Zelda, nor at Link, not even at her father, but at her.But then that wasn’t perhaps the right word. It wasn’t anger she felt, were she truly honest with herself, she had thought she had made the right choice and she would gladly do it ten times over. Pick a relationship with Zelda and Link? How could that possibly ever be the wrong option.   
  
No, it wasn’t anger. Though Peatrice felt strongly that her decision spoke for itself, she was well aware that she would have to explain it to her father. Her father wasn’t a fire and brimstone kind of guy, and Peatrice was not scared, but it was still nerve wrecking.

 

Even if, were Peatrice completely honest, focusing on her worries was kind of hard. They just seemed to slip away as she held her breath. Zelda might be holding her arms and restricting her movement, but it was still contact. Not lip to lip contact, which had quickly jumped in to become her favorite kind of contact, despite the short amount of experience she had with it, but it was still amazing, beyond descriptions. Peatrice had thought to herself that if she thought hard enough perhaps she would be able to put it into words, but that simple exhilarating touch told her otherwise. It was not a question of being smart, she thought herself pretty smart, even if it was hard to compare herself with Zelda, no, it was a question of feelings and emotions. She could feel her lip tremble, a half veined request for Zelda to press closer. To think that mere hours she had not known such gushs, outpouring out of her, was madness.

 

“There’s no need for that”, Zelda said, and Peatrice dropped her gaze to her hands, letting out a soft little sigh. She hadn’t really decided to scratch at her sides, it was more so a reaction than a thought that had gone through her head. Peatrice could feel Zelda shaking, or maybe it washer  that was shaking, desire and emotions pushing themselves outwards.   
  
“‘’I’m sorry”, because what else could she say? She was definitely not in the right, and even so Zelda treated her quite well. She didn’t dot over her, despite the fact she was the most mature of the two, and despite the fact she cared greatly for Peatrice. Peatrice who had always thought herself rather good at figuring other’s emotions, even if not at expressing hers without a dose of snark.

  
Zelda didn’t tell her that it was alright, nor did she say sweet little nothings to minimise the problem. Sure Peatrice’s nails hadn’t been very sharp, and her fingers hadn’t had the grip to press deep, but still the action spoke depths about the situation and how she felt about it. That Zelda held her, and that she could feel her worries dissipate spoke even more volumes about how much the other girl meant to her.

  
Link was close, and Peatrice couldn’t help but enjoy what she had called a pleasant view not a few days prior. He held himself close, closer still than Zelda. Peatrice hadn’t thought he’d be able to sneak in to such proximity but then his role as the quiet one was known. She was flanked and held in place not only by Zelda’s arms but also by Link’s proximity.   
  
His locks of hair fell in front of his eyes, and Peatrice thought the thought clichê but she’d like to reveal them, pushing them aside to more closely and intensively stare at him. Her eyes were drawn in by the figure of Link, and once more she felt herself go cross eyed as she tried alternating looks between Link and Zelda.

 

There was no need to choose though. They were both hers, and she was theirs. Such a thought pushed warmth through her belly, rising up to her chest, and made her want to smile even further. She hadn’t even realised she was already smiling, but her lips were pushed into a wide grin.   
  
Peatrice felt sort of ashamed about her reaction. To have hands roaming her navel, and who knew, lower, she had dreamt of that, that had been something she had dared hope, and that had reddened her cheeks on occasion. Not like she had done it though. Not really as a way of hurt, but as a symbol of proximity, a -   
  
Her thoughts ran astray as she idly felt Zelda’s hands on her wrist once more, she was so close and Link was so close, and Peatrice thought herself witty but no words came out. Only a slight intake of air, a gasp half formed, her lips opened. That touch was quicker to act than anything in her life How could she be surprised that she had changed her mind so quickly? From business savviness to plain love?

 

“I still maintain that communication is the best approach”, Zelda said, and she held one of Peatrice’s hand, gently guiding it from her lap to join Link’s making the three of them held hands. Peatrice could feel Link’s hand squeezing hers even through Zelda’s, a warm, comforting feeling. “Your father would likely prefer to hear it from you than let his suspicions develop…”   
  
Peatrice, despite the comfort, and despite how she’d have thought it impossible to feel anything but good and warmth with how close her two more than friends were, couldn’t help her sigh. It was not as if she feared her father but then some things she couldn’t help -   
  
With her position in the bed, Link’s chest pratically towered over her as he came closer still. She genuinely thought that he would hit her face with how close he was. Peatrice was at a point where that thought didn’t make any sharp words cross her lips despite the fact that would be what she’d have done a few hours ago.   
  
But then a few hours were many minutes and if Peatrice thought hard enough as her crush on Link had developed she had been less and less rude to him. It was still hard to believe that she not only had gotten Link, but also Zelda. How lucky was she?   
  
The position Link was in allowed her to soak in the chest, and the strong abdominal muscles. Link might not have been as muscled as Groose, his shoulders not as broad, but she still got quite an eyeful. She wondered if using the hand that Link had now freed to cope a feel of his chest would be considered in bad form? Before she could make a decision Link held her shoulder once more and the opportunity had passed.

 

Link didn’t speak much, so it meant the world to her that he reserved some of his words for her. It would be lying to say that he sounded as educated or well spoken as Zelda, but then his brief forays into speech were enough to make her heart swell. Peatrice had come to realise that though Link acted almost mute at times, he usually observed and assessed the situation very well. It was a quality that she admired in him, though, were she honest, not as much as the toned body that was so close to her.   
  
She might have nodded in appreciation, she wasn’t sure, because Link had a smile she could only describe as smug as he gently pressed her body weight into her shoulder. Such a thing should have knocked her down, but instead all it did was make her feel safe, wanted. It wasn’t inherently a possessive gesture by Link, but rather one that made her heart pound, her chest beating rapidly. It made her feel safe, like she was in a cocoon of sorts. At her side Zelda pushed her hand through her hair, and Peatrice wondered if she was thinking about braiding it. A ridiculous thought to have but then her mind wasn’t quite focused on logic at that time.

 

No, instead her mind seemed to run on one single track. Concerns that seemed so huge a few seconds prior were now replaced with the swelling of her heart. It wasn’t as if she wanted them, no, she  _ needed them close to her. _

 

“You know Peater better than us”, he half shrugged as if that was obvious. Peatrice though it would take Link’s free willingness to refer to the older man by his name, rather than a title. But Link wasn’t done. “If you don’t want to tell him, you don’t have to!”, Link’s lips pressed so close to her ear she thought he would whisper something secretive, but instead he just held himself there, giving Zelda the other side of her face to work with. It was as if he was so entranced he couldn’t help himself, it made Peatrice feel good.

 

“Right, when I said communication was the key I really did mean it.” Zelda’s breath on the nape of her neck sent chills down her spine, and her words did much the same. “We’re not going to do anything you don’t want us to. Consent is important”, she slowly slid down a hand through her sides, as if proving a point, making Peatrice catch her breath. “I do not wish to make you uncomfortable.”

 

Peatrice could barely move and yet that was the best she had ever felt in her entire young life. What could she do except nod?    
  
Zelda’s fingers pressed into her belly, much much more sofly than when she had had her incident. Zelda’s fingers traced her figure, quietly, as if she were so engrossed in it that she had no other thing she wanted to do as much.   
  
“It’s not fair though”, that was Peatrice’s assessment, and even through the haze of pleasure that being so close to her two wonderful partners was providing her it came through. “I’m being needy!”   
  
Link let out a snort, and Peatrice felt herself blush. It sounded ridiculous, but wasn’t that the truth? How could she say otherwise? As good as it felt, having the two of them close to her came only due to her  concerns, right?

 

“Nah! It’s ok!”, Link found himself talking more than he had planned, and Peatrice thanked the fact he cared for her enough to start voicing his thoughts “I mean, you’re not being needy, but even if you were, we care for you. Obviously!”, that obviously had the potential to make Peatrice feel stupid, but it was said in such a jokeful tone, coupled with the fact that the back of Link’s hand just happened to rub against Peatrice’s cheek and she didn’t mind.

 

“Link is right”, Zelda said, finally giving Peatrice space to move by pushing herself against the bed rather than letting herself hang mere inches from Peatrice. “You’ll never be a burden, do not worry!”

  
Peatrice hadn’t said she thought of herself as a burden, but she guessed it had transpired. Finally gaining some of her edge, she replied.   
  
“I’d hope not!”, Peatrice faked indignation, mockingly pushing her arms and crossing them. Zelda’s lip twitched and Peatrice smiled.   
  
“Glad to know you’re still Peatrice, underneath all that fluff”, Peatrice half wondered if she had just been sneakily insulted, but she knew that Zelda wouldn’t even dream of doing that. Too polite, and she cared too much for her.   
  
“What do you mean?”, Peatrice searched Zelda’s eyes, in lieu of her touch. She missed her comforting fingers already.    
  
“You’re rude, you’re crass you’re sarcastic, and I wouldn’t have it any other way”, Peatrice’s little knot in the stomach, that she had missed due to how happy she felt, started to untangle. Inconsequential in the grand scheme of things, she couldn’t help but keep her smile.   
  
“Yeah, wonderful”, Link agreed, short with words as usual. Link flipped himself in an impressive maneuver and Peatrice could swear he had swung himself diagonally into the bed. The three of them were now staring ahead.   
  
It was the image of innocence. All three of them staring ahead, as if nothing was happening between them. The only audible sound being Peatrice’s chest. It refused to slow down.   
  
“Told you he had a crush on you!”; Zelda smirked, which was a look that Peatrice had never seen on her before. Peatrice looked forward to explore it but first she had to deal with the immense blush that colored her cheeks.   
  
“Shaddup!”, but even as she tried to calm herself down her fingers seemed to have other plans as they moved in the direction of her partners, trying to press themselves against them.   
  
She was totally taken.

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Technically not a Valentine's day fic in (most of) Australia! This fanfic is a present to a friend of mine with whom I chat quite often, and I was hesitant to gift it to her, on this day, as that could give the wrong idea. I have purposefuly waited until that day has passed, to gift it to her.
> 
> ...I have never been on any poly relationship, and I am way out of my depth. If something I wrote or said comes out as offensive please let me know. Thank you!


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